AYER KEROH – Tudor Pro Cycling Team rider, Arvid de Kleijn again displayed his prowess by winning Stage 5 of PETRONAS Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) 2024 at the Melaka International Trade Centre (MITC) on Thursday.
Also known as the ‘Little Gorilla’, de Kleijn was able to surge ahead in the final 100 meters, crossing the finish line with a time of three hours, 35 minutes, and 30 seconds.
“I must thank my teammates for today’s win. Without their support, it would have been tough to replicate my victory from yesterday.
“As I said before, every race promises fierce competition because every rider wants to win, regardless of the stage.
“This victory definitely boosts my motivation to chase more wins in the next stages, but I don’t want to be overconfident,” said de Kleijn.
JCL Team UKYO’s Matteo Malucelli, who finished as runner-up in Stage 4 on Wednesday, had to settle for second place yet again, while Gleb Syritsa from the Kazakhstan Astana Team came in third in the race that started from the PETRONAS Twin Towers (KLCC) and covered a distance of 167.3 kilometers.
Muhammad Nur Aiman Rosli from Terengganu Cycling Team (TSG) was the best Malaysian rider, finishing 21st with a time of 3:35:34.
With this victory, de Kleijn matches his achievement from last year’s edition by winning two stages after also claiming the Stage 4 title from Kuala Kubu Bharu to Bentong on Wednesday.
At 30 years old, he has the opportunity to add more wins to his career in this prestigious Asian cycling event with three stages remaining.
Meanwhile, David Max Poole from Team DSM-Firmenich PostNL, who finished Stage 5 at 49th, retains the Green Jersey as the overall leader with a time of 16:33:04.
The 21-year-old climbing specialist from Great Britain faces a close challenge from Burgos-BH’s Jose Manuel Diaz Galledo, with only 0.12 seconds separating them.
The Polka Dot Jersey for King of the Mountains remains with Munoz Mario Aparicio of Burgos-BH, who added seven points to his total, bringing him to 27 points so far.
Poole, who surrendered the Polka Dot Jersey to Aparicio on Wednesday, has 22 points to pace at second, while Anthon Charmig from Astana Qazaqstan Team holds third place with 12 points.
Malucelli also retained the Orange Jersey as the Sprint King with 46 points, followed closely by de Kleijn with 45 points, and Syritsa, who won Stage 1, with a total of 35 points.
JCL Team UKYO’s Manabu Ishibashi maintained the White Jersey (Best Asian) with a time of 16:35:22, followed by Aisan Racing Team’s Keigo Kusaba (16:37:59) and another JCL rider, Yuma Koishi (16:38:03).
After five stages, Equipo Kern Pharma remains dominant in the overall team standings with a time of 49:40:04, followed by Astana Qazaqstan Team (49:41:35) and Team Polti Kometa (49:41:36).
In the Asian category, JCL Team UKYO also leads overall with a time of 49:51:36, followed by the Thailand national team (50:14:16) and Malaysia Pro Cycling (MPC) (50:14:46).
Stage 6 on Friday will start from Batu Pahat to Kulai, covering a distance of 123.4 kilometers and is set to offer new challenges, especially for sprinters, with three sprint zones at Senggarang, Rengit, and Bukit Batu.
